India Ale | Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

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Reviews by Tupperwolf:

Always so nice to pour a good beer into that brewery's own branded pint glass. Such was the case with Sam Smith's IPA, after a thorough rinsing to remove water spots left by the dishwasher (grrr). The beer pours a nice clear amber with a finger-and-a-half soapy yellow-white head that sticks around through several draughts, then fades to four millimeters and stays there, fed by lazy bubbles. Soapy lacing is left behind.

Huge Sam Smith's horseyard smelling malts are the dominant scent, with just a bit of farmland hop finish; It's a little weak in the hops, even for an English IPA, but the scent is really big and bold, and I have a hard time faulting it.

The malts are, again, dominant in the flavor; They have a weird bite that I only seem to get from Sammy's beers - not off, mind you, but probably due to the yeast that they have cultivated there, or their choice of hops - it's a characteristic taste that is unique to the brewery and shouldn't be bashed or changed. The dominant malts have a bit of butterscotch character, but are mostly horsey - and not in a brettanomyces way, but in a kind of mildew, old wet wood smell - maybe just a little of Golden Retriever wet dog flavor. Sounds weird, but it's tasty. I just can't describe it properly. You'll have to trust me.

This is one of those beers that floats on the tongue - as you take in a mouthful, it feels as though it's levitating inside your mouth, touching everything at once and then again, not quite touching everything - making its prescence known, but not overstaying its welcome. It has a thick body for an IPA, with very light carbonation, and a lightly bitter finish that fades to malts after a little while.

If you're looking for a hoppy beer, look elsewhere. Hell, look to a doppelbock for hops before you look to this. this isn't supposed to be hoppy. It's supposed to be a Sam Smith's English IPA, and that's goddamn well what it is. Those chaps can do whatever the bollocks they want with their beer. I havent' yet had a bad one.

Taste: Medium bodied and on the dry side. Nice crisp mouth feel with a moderate carbonation, semi aggressive prickly hop bitterness that leaves a tea like twang throughout. Malt flavour is like a pulled punch ... light caramel, hint of butterscotch and a handful of grain. Hop flavour is dominant in the finish also with an orange pekoe tea flavour.

Notes: A decent ale ... though small in comparison to other modern day IPAs both British and especially American. Oddly enough this brew is not any bit stronger than the Pale Ale in alcohol ... the body and hops are only a notch higher in comparison. Not a bad ale ... at least the English characteristics make this brew an interesting ale.

A: Like a normal pale but darker and possibly a tad bit murkier. Not much of a head the way I poured into the glass.

S: Not much here; although I'm not the best judge of aroma of beers. If anything, I get woody notes and some bitterness.

T: Awesome! After tasting Coopers Sparkling Ale I was looking for a beer in similar style and this exceeded my expectations. I love the English-style pale ale more than the American and this is the prime example of why. Earthy tones, bitterness from the hops, nice caramel malt backbone, breadiness, and yeast.

M: Thicker than expected. Medium I'd say with a good creaminess. Kind of yeasty. Very tasty.

O: This is what makes a good English style pale ale. Nice and crispy, yet full of flavors. The English touch (the breadiness and toffee-like character) makes this beer a winner not only in style but in craft.

From estucerveza. In Ikea's pint glass. Watching Los Soprano 3x13. Great example of drinkability. Probably the best english IPA ive tasted. Demonstrates that hops can be very pleasant even if they arent as explosive in mouth and nose as american hops

Immediately I was not ready for this beer. I came at it with a prejudice that I have with IPAs. This beer pours well develops a light head that begins to dissipate quickly. The color is amber without being completely transparent. Full-bodied flavor and with plenty of hops. A fantastic IPA that I could absolutely drink again.

Poured a dark amber color with little to no head,mine had been onthe shelf for awhile and developed a winey smell to it but it held up well.The malt in this IPA was very evident upfront with a good hpsmack in the end.A very well made IPA even sitting on shelf for almost a year u could taste the flavors of a very good well-made ale.

Appearance  Almost clear orange in the body with a little carbonation and a big head that went down quickly and cleanly.

Smell  The floral hop aroma is laden with fruit, predominantly peach. I can also pick up some grapefruit. Behind that is a strong malt backbone. This is yet another balanced Sam Smiths.

Taste  There it is; the classic Sam Smith. The malt base is laced with caramel and extremely smooth. The hops are fruity as they are in the nose with a bit of spicing.

Mouthfeel  Once again, this is an extremely smooth and creamy Sam Smiths. The buttery undertones, mildness and balance of flavors, and subtle carbonation give this one a terrific mouthfeel. I feel that this is the strong point of the ale.

Drinkability  Not your heavy-hitting West Coast IPA by any means, but a terrific session ale in step with traditional English tastes.

Wish I could offer a more interesting perspective or review, but all I can say it it's just a pleasant, easy drinking ale that's not spectacular, but nothing to complain about either.
I'd willingly have another, and that's good for me.

This is a new copper colored beer with thick, creamy, white head. There isn't much in the way of smell, especially for an IPA. I get a very faint, soft, fruity hop smell. The taste is metallic then sweet for just a second before going very dry with a big bitterness and a dry, clean finish. Mouthfeel is on the thicker side with some stinging carbination. While there isn't really anything wrong with this beer, there is nothing terribly interesting about it either. I'd sooner take some of its American counterparts, especially for the price. Not Sam Smith's best beer by a long shot. Interestingly, I've had this beer past it's prime (like almost a year old probably) and thought it was very good. It had fun butterscotch flavors then.

This pour from a 550ml brown bottle is a hazy amber with a white head with little retention. Can't find any freshness info on the bottle. The smell is sweet and malty with notes of grain and grass. The hop nose is pretty understated. The flavors are very malty with notes of the aforementioned grass and grain. The hop flavors are weak and the finish is bland to average with regard to the hoppiness. The body is okay tending towards syrupy and leaving an unpleasant film on the pallet. If I were to select a Euro Bitter or India style ale this would not be one of my top choices.

Obvious hops in the nose, but not a blast in the face like a lot of other IPAs. You can pick up on the malt also.

Kind of mild tasting from what I'm used to in an IPA, but I guess that's the difference between English & American IPAs. Extremely well-rounded and balanced, just like all other S.S. beers. I feel like the malt stands out just as well as the hops, in this beer.

Mouthfeel is very smooth and easygoing. Refreshing.

Highly drinkable. If you were up to it, drinking a 4 pack in a sitting would be very possible. This beer is unlike most IPAs. Doesnt leave my mouth all that dry, either. Recommended, but dont expect a hop-monster.

Popped the bottle cold from the beer fridge into a pint glass.
Initial reaction was underwhelming.
Fortunately, I left it for a couple of hours and when I came back to it, it was sublime.
The wonderful balance of fruitiness and hops blended to a taste to behold.
Definitely not to be consumed cold in my opinion.

Cloudy amber orange color, like that of a sunset, faint malt hop aroma, the taste is surprisingly more malty than hoppy and somewhat on the light side, but overall its good. I like it i guess, not because of a big taste, but rather the balance and drinkablity. You could stick with this all night